P.E.I. legislative session begins with 1st throne speech read by new lieutenant-governor

The second session of the 67th General Assembly of Prince Edward Island began Tuesday at "a pivotal moment for our province, our country and the world," according to the throne speech read out by Lt.-Gov. Wassim Salamoun. 

The province has a new premier, Canada has a new prime minister and international relations are changing in significant and unsettling ways. 

This will be the first session of the legislature with Rob Lantz as premier. The former Progressive Conservative education minister and MLA for Charlottetown-Brighton was sworn in as premier on Feb. 21, the day after Dennis King announced he was stepping down from the role.

"This marks a new chapter for our province, with a new premier and renewed leadership committed to building on the progress we have made while setting a course for our future," Salamoun said as he read out the speech from the throne, traditionally prepared by the governing party to lay out its legislative agenda for the weeks ahead. 

The throne speech discussed the province's plans for the economy, healthcare, infrastructure, municipalities, law enforcement and education. 

"As we've done many times before — as Islanders and as Canadians — we will band together and get through this together," the text said. 

In another development Tuesday, MLAs voted to select Progressive Conservative MLA Sidney MacEwen as the legislature's new Speaker. He had been serving as deputy speaker until Speaker Darlene Compton was named as Lantz's new minister of economic development, innovation and trade.

Economy 

The speech text read by Salamoun said P.E.I.'s Progressive Conservative government will introduce legislative changes in the spring sitting to support efforts to reduce internal trade barriers amid ongoing tariff uncertainty.

That includes continuing to push for the removal of tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares for the Wood Island ferry service, which the speech called "the biggest trade barrier" and "an unfair burden on Islanders" that holds back the province's economy. 

The tolls have become a talking point in the federal election campaign in recent days as both major parties pledged to reduce or eliminate the tolls. 

Lantz's government will also explore the creation of a shipping port on P.E.I. to connect the province to new and emerging markets around the world, the speech said. 

As Lantz promised on March 4, the province will double its number of trade missions this year and aggressively pursue new markets around the world, while also promoting Island products across Canada, according to the speech text. 

For P.E.I. farmers, the government will introduce a land buy-back program for those whose land has been affected by the Potato Wart Management Plan, the speech said. The program will let farmers sell land that is restricted for use in agriculture, and purchase or lease other land if they choose.

The government will also introduce tax cuts to support Island companies, and will review and improve its community economic development business program that allows equity financing with tax credits for investors in approved businesses, Salamoun said. 

Health care 

The government is committed to reducing surgical wait times and improving access to care, the speech said, pointing to the success of a privately operated cataract clinic in Charlottetown that has reduced wait times for Islanders needing that kind of eye surgery.

Lantz's team is exploring a community-based surgical model to address the lack of available operating rooms for surgeons and expand access to services outside of hospitals. The province will also be expanding access to gynecological services outside of hospitals, the speech said. 

To improve Islanders' access to primary-care providers, the government said it will be adding two new patient homes this year. The speech said that, along with the expansion of existing medical homes and hiring more primary care providers, will give 10,000 additional patients from the P.E.I. Provincial Registry access to primary care.

That still leaves the province behind schedule on the Progressive Conservatives' 2023 compaign promise to remove all Islanders from the registry by the end of April 2025 and to add 30 medical homes by the end of 2024. 

As of Feb. 28, the government's website was indicating that 38,006 people had no access to a primary-care provider — meaning a family doctor, a nurse practitioner or a patient home. 

To expedite the evaluation and licensing of foreign-trained doctors, P.E.I. will be introducing a Practice Ready Assessment Centre, the speech said. 

As CBC News reported recently, P.E.I. is currently the only province in Canada not using a Practice-Ready Assessment process to accredit foreign-trained doctors.

The province is also promising to add 50 more public and 175 more private long-term care beds. 

While free access to Maple for all Islanders, as promised in 2023, has not yet materialized, the speech said Lantz's government will be expanding virtual-care options and expanding the use of artificial intelligence AI in health care. 

Infrastructure 

Artificial intelligence will also be used to streamline the permitting process for developments, the government pledged. 

The province also intends to expand wind and solar installations to increase P.E.I's renewable energy capacity. 

The government will work with utilities and IRAC to support "dispatchable electrical generation," and will look at creating a position to represent taxpayers at IRAC rate hearings, like a public intervenor or consumer advocate.

Lantz's government is also promising to build its own cell towers in dead zones and hook up the last 2,800 homes to high-speed internet. 

While the speech read by Salamoun mentioned an embrace of the housing-first model for vulnerable Islanders, there were no details provided on what that means for efforts like the emergency overnight shelter on Park Street in Charlottetown. 

Communities 

An interim agreement will be made to increase funding to municipalities, pending the current review of the municipal government act, the speech said. The government will also create a municipal infrastructure bank, which will offer low-interest loans to build and refurbish community infrastructure. 

Provincial funding will also be provided to a joint enforcement team intended to combat drug trafficking, the speech said. 

In terms of law enforcement efforts related to compliance with the P.E.I. Lands Protection Act, the government is promising to introduce legislative and regulatory changes. 

"My government is focused on delivering real results in areas that matter most," Lantz was quoted as saying in a news release about the throne speech. "We're working to improve health care, strengthen the economy and ease the cost of living so that all Islanders can feel more secure about their future."